For our first full day in Taipei, we took the Historic Free Walking Tour by Like It Formosa. (Highly recommended!) It’s a good way to get to know the city — get a feel of the spots and get a crash course on its history. Also, it’s good exercise!
The tours are done every day at 10 AM, with no reservation required. You just have to go to the meeting point (Exit 1, MRT Longshan Temple) at the designated time.
Our first stop was Longshan Temple, one of the most well known temples in Taiwan. There were a lot of locals there praying. Our guide shows us which gods were for what. For example, there was a god for success in exams, a god for love, etc.
After the Longshan Temple, we walked to the Bopiliao Historical Block.
We stopped for snacks along the way.
The next stop was the Ximen Red House.
And then to the Presidential Office.
Then to the 228 Memorial Park, where we learned about an important part of Taiwan’s history. 228 refers to February 28 incident or massacre which occurred in 1947.
There’s a reflexology path that hurts AF.
Inside the park, there were exhibits or demos that sought the protection of the indigenous people’s rights.
And, lastly, the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial, which was where the walking tour ended. We didn’t go inside, though. Our tour guide ask at this part of the tour, “Why did they build a memorial for a dictator?” (Referring to Chiang Kai Shek.) She said: We didn’t. He built it himself. We just never tore it down.
The tour lasted about 3 hours, and by the end, we were famished. So we took the metro to Dongmen station to eat xiao long bao. 😛
I really like taking walking tours, but it’s not for everyone. This is actually my second Taipei walking tour. The first one was with my parents the year before. We didn’t finish it because my dad was too tired from all the walking. So, you have to consider that. You could walk for several kilometers in the tour and your body, your legs and feet, particularly, has to be able to take it and at the pace that the group is going.
The Bern Book 